In the crucible of intellectual change that took place in the seventeenth century, the role of Samuel Hartlib was of immense significance. Hartlib (originally from Elbing) settled in England permanently from the late 1620s until his death in 1662. His aspirations formed a distinctive and influential strand in English intellectual life during those revolutionary decades. This volume reflects the variety of the theoretical and practical interests of Hartlib's circle and presents them in their continental context.